News Analysis: Egypt’s Tourism ‘on the Ropes’

Written by James Mullan

What’s the story? Egypt’s tourism industry is in serious trouble. Source: New York Times.


Can you give me some figures? Well, the good news is that 2010 was a record year for tourism in the country with nearly 15 million tourists taking in the multifarious delights of this splendid place.


And the bad news? The numbers are down 42 percent through September of this year, according to the Egyptian Tourism Authority. That’s around $3 billion lost.


I presume this year’s revolution had a lot to do with it? Revolutions and that care-free, what-should-we-do-today feeling don’t tend to get along too well.


But wasn’t there some talk about the ETA using the revolution to attract tourists? More than talk, they actually tested its effect in some research across key markets.
And the results? “People were happy for us about what happened, but they said, ’Don’t talk to us about the revolution,” ’ according to an official. ““You cannot sell Egypt through Tahrir Square.”


How’s the rest of the economy doing? At first glance not so bad. The other pillars of the economy – gas and oil sales, Suez Canal revenues and remittances from workers abroad – are either stable or growing, according to Central Bank figures.
Overall, economic activity came to a standstill for months, with growth expected to tumble to under 2 per cent this year from a robust 7 per cent in 2010. Official unemployment rates rose to at least 12 per cent from 9 per cent. Foreign investment is negligible.


So the government is taking immediate and rapid action on several fronts to get things going again? If by ‘rapid’ and ‘immediate’ you mean ‘sitting on their hands’ then you are correct.


Egypt’s notorious for its love of bureaucracy and its red tape. Surely this has been relaxed? Quite the contrary, it appears. According to Hisham Fahmy of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt: “The normal red tape has got redder.”


It’s enough to make a Sphinx cry. Indeed.
http://mideastposts.com/2011/11/07/news-analysis-egypts-tourist-industry-on-the-ropes/

'Welcome to the country of peaceful revolution'. Egypt aims to entice back tourists

By VALENTINA JOVANOVSKI

Countries involved in the Arab Spring have been plagued by images of rebellion, violence and upheaval. But now some of them are looking to bounce back as top tourist hotspots by launching new campaigns.Egypt and Tunisia, both relatively early members of the movement, have started promotional campaigns that emphasise their potential as safe and attractive holiday destinations.

"Welcome to the country of peaceful revolution’ is the slogan that Egypt has settled on after experiencing massive protests and demonstrations against former president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011, which led to his ousting.The campaigns have been included in a global trends report by market analyst Euromonitor International as part of the World Travel Market (WTM) opening today in London.

WTM chairman Fiona Jeffery said: ‘The speed at which the marketing campaigns have been launched demonstrates the importance the new democracies in Egypt and Tunisia have put on inbound tourism for their long-term economic future.
‘Tourism can help build up these countries’ new democracies and has the potential to do so across all the Arab Spring countries.’Another set of countries known as the SLIMMAs – otherwise referred to as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Argentina – were named by the WTM 2011 Industry Report as potential up-and-coming holiday spots of the future.Investments in ‘infrastructure and natural beauty’ mean this group of countries may rival Brazil, Russia, India and China – or the BRICs – as top tourist destinations.
Indonesia was praised for its unspoilt islands, while Sri Lanka’s infrastructural upgrades may lead more tourists to explore the Asian country following the end of its civil war.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2058541/Arab-Spring-countries-aim-post-revolution-tourism-boost.html

Tourism in Alexandria After Arab Spring

WHEN the Arab Spring spread to Egypt on Jan. 25, culminating in the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak 17 days later, it brought an electrifying sense of achievement and — as travelers and tour operators know all too well — an unwelcome side effect: the crippling of Egypt’s tourism industry, the country’s major source of revenue and jobs.

A total of 14.8 million tourists came to Egypt last year, feeding $13 billion into the economy. But the number of visitors fell by 80 percent in the first month after the revolution, and the industry will probably finish this year down 25 percent, according to the tourism ministry. That is a loss of more than $3 billion.

“We canceled all of our departures for the spring,” said Tom Armstrong, the director of communications for Tauck Tours, which normally runs a dozen high-end trips to Egypt annually. Now, with the high season just beginning, “business is coming back, but it’s not back to what we’ve enjoyed historically,” he said.
“In the long term we’re optimistic,” he added, noting that the government’s “aggressive” promotion has helped restore a measure of confidence.
Those efforts have included TV advertising, news media junkets and a marketing push at tourist fairs in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour, the minister of tourism and former head of Egypt’s largest opposition party, said he spent much of last spring and summer “doing everything feasible to bring back the tourists,” including appearances throughout the Middle East and Europe to spread the word that the country is safe. A lobbying campaign succeeded in getting the southern Egyptian city of Aswan selected as the host last month of the World Tourism Day ceremony, an important industry event.
“Not a single tourist has been hurt, or had any problem since the 25th of January,” Mr. Abdel Nour said. In the midst of the revolution, banners in Tahrir Square, he said, “were asking tourists not to leave, and promising that they will be protected, which tells you to what extent Egyptians value tourism.”

In the United States, tour companies like Abercrombie & Kent say they are seeing an increase in interest, particularly among first timers taking advantage of low prices, politically aware travelers who wish to show support for Egyptian democracy and returnees interested in exploring newly accessible sites like the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor, a 1.7-mile path linking the Temple of Luxor with the Temple of Karnak, scheduled to be fully renovated this fall.
Abercrombie & Kent ran all nine of its scheduled tours in Egypt in October. All were at close to their capacity of 20 to 24 people each, said Pamela Lassers, the company’s media-relations director. Dozens of tours scheduled through New Year’s 2012 are nearly full, she said, and the company has added two new departures next year for its family tour “Pyramids, Mummies and Temples.”
Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent have filled their Facebook pages with testimonials from recent visitors to Egypt, many of whom cite the absence of the usual crush at the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum; and the “optimistic spirit” and “good mood” of the people. “Right now is a great time

via travel.nytimes.com